New Jersey Police Arrest Man Suspected Of Killing Two Gay Men In Seattle

New Jersey authorities have arrested a fugitive suspected of killing two men in Seattle last month. Police apprehended Ali Muhammad Brown, 30, in West Orange, N.J., July 18 — weeks after he was identified as a suspect in the double homicide case.

Brown, who is held at a correctional facility, was charged with two counts of aggravated first-degree murder and could face the death penalty if convicted, KIRO 7 reports. He was also wanted for a robbery and attempted carjacking in New Jersey.

Ahmed Said, 27, and Dwone Anderson-Young, 23, were found shot to death June 1 in Seattle’s Leschi neighborhood. Prosecutors accuse Brown of targeting the men on mobile dating apps for gay men before meeting them outside R Place, a gay club, that night.

In court documents released July 2, prosecutors say Brown allegedly planned the attack and that Seattle police were investigating the case as a possible anti-gay hate crime, reports KIRO 7.

According to the documents, Said communicated with Brown on a gay dating app “like Grindr or Jack’d” while at the nightclub and told friends there he was meeting someone that night. Shortly after the bar closed, the victims met Brown and then drove to Anderson-Young’s house in Leschi, at which point police say Brown shot them multiple times and stole Said’s car. Evidence collected by homicide investigators suggests the victims were “essentially executed,” according to the report.

Additionally, prosecutors said that homicide investigators linked Brown to the murders after finding fingerprints and 9mm casings in Said’s car, which was found abandoned in South Seattle.

Authorities say they will continue to investigate. In a statement, Mayor Ed Murray said, “All of our communities are safer today as a result. I hope his arrest brings some initial measure of closure to the families of Dwone Anderson-Young and Ahmed Said.”